Business Case

An overview of the business case for CEO Water Mandate and how the Global Compact is supporting business efforts.

• CEO Water Mandate Business Case

Learning

Inspire participants’ organizational learning, and support companies to develop and implement corporate sustainability strategies, operations and management practices in line with the Global Compact Ten Principles. Read more about Learning.

• CEO Water Mandate Learning Presentation Slides
• CEO Water Mandate Template Agenda
• CEO Water Mandate Q&A

Learning Activities

• Convene outreach events promoting the CEO Water Mandate, raising awareness of local water issues, global water stress and crises, and how business can help.
• Translate materials and localize content.
• Launch a campaign to encourage participants to endorse the CEO Water Mandate and its six core elements.
• Host workshops and seminars focused on specialized workstreams and projects of the CEO Water Mandate (i.e. water and human rights; water and conflict).
• Collect and showcase good practice examples of local companies implementing the key aspects of CEO Water Mandate.
• Convene workshops and offer support to companies on corporate water stewardship, including how to communicate efforts in the annual Communication on Progress. See resource on Corporate Water Accounting.

Learning Benefits

• Enhanced awareness of the tools and resources available for corporate participants to assess and improve their water use.
• Increased number of CEO Water Mandate endorsers.
• Increased understanding of the importance of water-related issues, global water stress and the role business and other stakeholders can play.
• Increased quality of reporting through the nclusion of water-related topics in the annual Communication on Progress.
• Increased visibility of Local Network to companies and other stakeholders with an interest in corporate water stewardship.

Learning Local Examples

• Global Compact Ghana and the Pacific Institute co-hosted a meeting on the CEO Water Mandate. The meeting featured a multi-stakeholder panel on corporate water stewardship, which inspired participants to dive into active discussion and debate. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the benefits of the CEO Water Mandate, water challenges facing Africa and how companies can implement the Mandate’s six core elements and good practices related to water.

Policy Dialogue

Aim to bring businesses and other stakeholders together to exchange best practices, identify new and emerging issues; promote multi-stakeholder trust and interaction; and support advocacy to policymakers. Read more about Policy Dialogue.

• General Policy Dialogue Presentation Slides

Policy Dialogue Activities

• Organize multi-stakeholder dialogue related to advancing national water priorities and/or policy agendas – connected to implementing the core elements of the CEO Water Mandate.
• Foster dialogue among businesses and other stakeholders to exchange views, practices and challenges related to advancing corporate water stewardship and provide the opportunity for partnership and collaboration among LN participants.

Policy Dialogue Benefits

• Identification of recommendations from business to policymakers on actions that could help increase the scale and impact of corporate water stewardship.
• Progress towards greater corporate water action within the LN as a result of increased dialogue and exchange of best practices.
• Evidence of Local Network convening power on water stewardship and environmental sustainability issues.

Policy Dialogue Local Examples

• The Global Compact Network Indonesia celebrated World Water Day 2013 with a week-long campaign to promote improved access to clean and safe water. The campaign, organized by the Indonesia Network, UNESCO and Gerakan Ciliwung Bersih – an organization focused on developing and empowering the society living along the Ciliwung River – consisted of seminars, community training and water detection workshops to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable water management. The Indonesia Network also launched the “1 Million Biopores” Project, inviting stakeholders to participate in the effort to create 10,000 biopore holes within one year. The biopore hole is a solution for reducing the chance of a flood disaster and water scarcity in areas like Jakarta, which are densely populated and lack open green space. Within seven months from its launch, approximately 360,000 biopores were installed throughout Indonesia in partnership with participating organizations. The project will continue in 2014. Throughout the week-long campaign, representatives from over 120 organizations – both local and international companies, academia, civil society, business associations, river communities, students and media – exchanged and promoted ideas to support and engage in collective action in order to improve water quality and management.

Collective Action & Partnerships

Through partnerships, private and public actors can combine their resources, skills and expertise to enhance results and impact. With collective action multiple companies join forces to engage in identifying, developing and implementing innovative solutions to systematic challenges. Read more about Collective Action.

• General Collective Action & Partnerships Presentation Slides

Collective Action Activities

• In collaboration with partner organizations, convene/facilitate a peer or industry discussion on water stewardship to gain a common understanding and potentially develop a forward-looking, actionable agenda.
• Promote use of the Water Action Hub by businesses and NGOs to increase the number of projects listed. Faciliate its use by encouraging businesses to invite collaboration with additional partners by posting water sustability projects.

Collective Action Benefits

• Increased cooperation of champion companies on country specific water sustainability recommendations and best practices.
• Increased number of water sustainability projects posted on the Water Action Hub.
• Increased number of partnerships in projects featured on the Water Action Hub.
• Increased opportunities for collaboration between Local Network and other stakeholders with an interest in corporate water stewardship such as government ministries, UN agencies, NGOs or Foundations.

Collective Action Local Examples

• The joint venture, “India Collaboration Lab: New Alliances for Water and Sanitation,” was established in 2013 by Global Compact Network India, the UN Global Compact, and the CEO Water Mandate to advance innovative projects for water access, sanitation, hygiene and water resources management. 120 participants from all sectors attended the two-day event which gave companies the opportunity to learn about innovative solutions developed by social entrepreneurs, while providing entrepreneurs with the chance to access resources for scaling these innovations. Key outcomes from the meeting included: 1) two new social enterprise-corporate partnerships formed to support water transportation and purification solutions in Orissa State, one of the most water-stressed states in India; and 2) the creation of the India Collaboration Lab Consortium, which aims to track the progress of partnerships and projects, provide mentoring and support for partnerships, and increase engagement within the Lab. The India Network will continue to host a series of India Collaboration Lab Consortium meetings and plans to expand its scope during 2014.